As the scorching heat continues to affect our daily lives, it’s essential to rethink our priorities, especially when it comes to our places of worship. In our mosques, we often focus on creating beautiful and elaborate structures, but we tend to overlook basic comforts that worshippers need to pray with ease and concentration. While a beautifully designed mosque is certainly admirable, it’s not a requirement in Islam. What’s far more important is ensuring that worshippers, especially the elderly and children, can pray with dignity and ‘khushu’. Proper ventilation, fans and cooling systems are not luxuries; they’re necessities that directly impact our ability to worship effectively.
When we spend charity on our mosque, it is important to focus on what’s truly beneficial to the people. Installing cooling systems, improving ventilation and providing comfortable seating are all practical ways to serve the actual needs of our community. As Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said, “The most beloved of people to Allah are those who are most beneficial to people.”
I recently witnessed a striking example of misplaced priorities in our town’s masjid. Millions of rupees were spent on elaborate decorations and cosmetics, while the worshippers in the rows beyond the first one were left sweating profusely due to the lack of even simple fans. It was as if they were standing under the open sky, exposed to the sizzling sun. A fraction of that amount could have been used to install fans or cooling systems, making a huge difference to the comfort of worshippers.
Let’s prioritise function over form and people over polish. By doing so, we’ll not only create a more comfortable and conducive environment for worship, but we’ll also be serving the Ummah in a meaningful way.
Sajid Ali
Buner
